A Birding Hotspot

March 15, 2017

Lime Bluff Recreation Area

By David Brown

Lycoming Audubon Society

The Lime Bluff Recreation Area is great place to go birding in Lycoming County. This 65-acre park near Hughesville has a great variety of habitat. One side of the park is a wooded area where all of our common woodpecker species are often seen. Another side is a brushy area with a wet ditch running beneath it. On the other side of the brush is a Christmas tree farm. The park has a small pond as well.

The brushy edge of the park is one of the best spots in the county to find willow flycatchers. Other flycatchers, especially eastern phoebes, are also common. I led an autumn bird walk where one target species was the Lincoln’s sparrow and we found one in that area as well. The

Photo: David Brown

morning sun gives perfect light along that edge for photography.

This is a great place for organized bird walks due to the ample parking and open space. The park also has a disc golf course, baseball diamond, and a playground, so families can come out and enjoy separate activities. Flower beds keep the area near the parking lots beautiful. The park has nice walking trails for keeping your feet dry when the grass is wet.

The Lycoming Audubon Society maintains a trail of nest boxes for eastern bluebirds. Tree swallows will also nest in the boxes. In the autumn hundreds of swallows perch on the electrical wires as they group up for their migration south.

Photo: David Brown

Patches of grass are left unmowed and grassland species such as eastern meadowlarks are regularly seen. Northern flickers are often seen on the ground in the grassy areas, revealing their white rump patch as they flush to the safety of a tree. I have seen Baltimore orioles and orchard orioles in the park and both species probably nest in the area. Flocks of warblers feed in the trees during spring and fall migration and some species nest in the park.

The park has a nice view of the sky and raptors are often seen migrating over in the spring and fall. Red-tailed hawks and American kestrels are often seen perched on the power line poles that cross the park. Northern harriers from the adjacent farmland are also spotted.

The Lime Bluff Recreation Area is a beautiful public park for watching and photographing birds.